Hervé LE GUYADERProgramme Manager, Conseil Régional d‘Aquitaine

Gdansk, 6, October, 2011

The role of Regions in making einclusionhappen: Where responsibility and opportunity

meet

Aquitaine41 308 km²

~3 M people5 départements2295 communes

1. A first set of certainties, a first conclusion

2. A second set of certainties, a second conclusion

3. P.A.s, Regions in the driver‘s seat

4. The main (bag of) issues

5. The (need for) guidelines, public policies

6. The way forward

The role of Regions in making einclusion happen: Where responsibility and opportunity meet

1 A first set of certainties

1) 25% of the population are not using the internet

2) This is not acceptable, neither socially, nor economically

3) Potential negative effects are not going to, just, vanish

4) Multiple and overlapping causes for e-exclusion

5) Double blow against the European model

The six Riga topics

Active ageing

Geographical digital divide

Accessibility

Digital literacy and competences

Cultural diversity

Inclusive eGovernment

All citizens

First conclusion: This is NOT a minorproblem

2 A second set of certainties

4 PPP, for sure, but it won‘t be enough!

4 PA‘s, who‘s in charge ?

(the subsidiarity issue)

6

All « Riga topics »

Balancing local/regional/national position

... between fragmentation - and top down Governance

Geographical Digital Divide

3 Regions in the driver’s seat on eInclusion

• For addressing the 6 Riga topics

• For sowing seeds of eInclusion innovative projects and practises

that reach their intended public

• For hard wiring eInclusion in their mainstream development

policies (SF, ERDF, EIP, …)

• Having said that …

Second conclusion: Regions are a logical, privileged level to deliver sustainable

eInclusion

4 The main (bag of) issues

Uncertain, fickle financial and economical floods

Changing and intimidating lingo

Competing priorities

5 … calling for maps, guidelines & public policies

Main issue: Governance

• Malta is not Poland !

… and Gdansk population > population of some M.S.

Governance: What’s to avoid, what’s to encourage

• 100% Top down: not accepted, not adapted

• 100% Bottom up: scalability ? critical mass ?

• Build a “Development” Culture

• Accept complexity and diversity

• Promote local experimentation/research

• Provide “space” and local autonomy

• Work with pioneers and early adopters

• Balance top down and bottom up, research anddeployment

Public policies ?

3 key enabling policy areas, 3 sectoral policy areas

• Connectivity to ubiquitous and affordable broadband,

• Life-long re-skilling of citizens : set of eCompetences,

• eAccessibility and usability.

• Addressing the needs of older workers and of elderly people,

• Promoting cultural diversity in relation to inclusion,

• Promoting inclusive eGovernment.

E.C. study on Public policies (MS & Regions)6 « families » of public policies

• # 1: Appointing a coordinating authority

• # 2: Awareness raising / Stimulating and

supporting initiatives

• # 3: Designing a specific eInclusion strategy

• # 4: Enforcing eInclusion public policies

• # 5: Addressing specific excluded groups

• # 6: Digital inclusion of the territory per se

# 1: Appointing a coordinating authority

• Larger countries (GER, SP, IT, FR, PL, …) withsome degree of decentralization

• Example Avanza Plan (SP)Securing their funding through an optimized use of European (Structural

Funds, mostly) and National funds.

Annual calls aiming at supporting non-profit entities’ e-inclusion projects targeted to: Individuals with disabilities, elderly citizen, gender equality, enhancing e-participation above all in rural areas …

Appointing a coordinating authority

Encapsulated policy within a Gvtal institution

Appointing a coordinating authority

Appointing a coordinating authority

Appointing a coordinating authority

Appointing a coordinating authority

Appointing a coordinating authority

# 2 Awareness raising / Stimulating and supporting initiatives

From Lord Carter - Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting

Dear Champion and Task Force Members,

Delivering Digital Inclusion

Thank you for agreeing to devote your time and energy to the challenge of reducing digital exclusion. In this open letter I will briefly set out our mission. ..

# 3: Designing a specific eInclusion strategy ?

and/or mainstreaming eInclusion in traditional policies ?

• Accessibility (“Stanca Law”, Italy)

• Digital Competences (Norway, The Netherlands)

Designing a specific eInclusion strategy ?

• Cultural diversity: Portugal: “Choices”

• Labour/Employment: Polande-Applications (e-Wnioski)

Emp@tia Project

e-bon system

Advisor 2000 (Doradca 2000)

Personal Interests Questionnaire (Kwestionariusz Zainteresowao Zawodowych)

Training Institutions Register (Rejestr Instytucji Szkoleniowych) …

# 4: Enforcing eInclusion public policies

Keeping track at the legislative level (Cyprus, Malta, Italy, Sweden, Greece …)

Measuring instruments: Quantitative goals ( Portugal, France, Denmark, …)

Case in Point: Standardization

– Accessibility of public web sites

– eAdministration/eProcurement

Enforcing eInclusion public policies (accessibility of web sites)

Enforcing eInclusion public policies

Penalties ?

• Cash (eProcurement, SF, …)

• Finger Pointing (eReputation ….)

Penalties ?

Meanwhile, in the USA …

5: Addressing specific excluded groups

• Immigrants, from diverse ethnic groups, and their families,

• Abused or molested children or women,

• Prison inmates,

• Hospitalized patients (children, veterans, chronically diseased, …),

• Isolated mothers in remote areas,

• …

• By definition, need for « proximity policies »

# 6: Digital inclusion of the territory per se

eInclusion is about people, but it doesn’t stop there

• districts, boroughs, villages, provinces, regions and even countries - need to be included in a larger frame,

• The convergence of globalisation and digitisation impacts regions, countries, on a continuous basis, leaving some far behind, others altogether excluded. Public authorities have to keep alert and adapt their policies.

The project – policy relationship

• Promote Local experimentation/research• Provide “space” and local autonomy• Work with pioneers and early adopters• Better balance top down and bottom up

To win on both (necessary) fronts: agility and sustainability

The “ideal” scenario The “bottom up, then expanded” scenario The “fish out of water” scenario The “small is beautiful” scenario

6 The way forward

A few reminders• Bottom up & top down, research & deployment

• Feedback between projects and policies

• Integrate (co-funding) instruments

• Put « the level that makes sense » in the driver’sseat

• Embrace complexity !

• Governance, governance, governance!!!

The way forward: Innovation Union

The way forward: Innovation Union

Thank you for your attention

Hervé LE GUYADER

herve.le-guyader@aquitaine.fr